


Those That Came Before

by Icestream



Series: Assassin's Creed [1]
Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Gen, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icestream/pseuds/Icestream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You've suddenly found yourself in a strange place, accepting to help in a war you've only just heard about.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. The Nexus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've suddenly found yourself in a strange place, accepting to help in a war you've only just heard about.

How you got here you don’t remember very well, there was a blinding flash of white and a voice that beckoned you forth. That voice was cool and unsettling much like the chilly winds that blow before a bad storm, but you walked onward, into the wash of white being assured that you weren’t in any real danger. 

Only moments before you stepped into the blinding rift, you’d just retired for the night, your day was a long one and you’d been pestered by your friends to join them at a bachelor party right after you’d gotten off work. You declined, politely of course, but it really bothered you how invested in your life your friends got sometimes. Often times they were pairing you up with surprise suitors on blind dates because they hated to see you alone, even after the hundredth time of you telling them that you’d rather be alone than with someone you know very little about.

“What is this place?” you shouted into the blank space in front of you.

After a long silence that seemed to stretch on forever, you began to doubt, unsure if you were even still walking in the right direction. It was a large and apparently empty space and even tho your eyes have by now adjusted to the bright walls and floor that seemed to blend together, it still felt blinding to be in such a place. Your eyes began to burn and water you wiped them and attempted to ignore the burning in your eyes as you continued to walk forward, trying to find a way out of this strange void.

Again you mind wandered back to your home and friends, how were you ever going to get back to them; to your warm apartment, in your quiet town. Full of familiar faces. What were you even going to say to your boss? Beth was a nice old woman but she didn’t like tardiness and refused to listen to excuses. You remember when one of your co-workers came in late with a hangover, she pulled him into her office and for what seemed like hours, she would yell at him and give him one of her famous lectures about how time was money and how it tarnished the company image whenever employees would come in if they weren’t well. And always you would hear him apologize profusely with shoulders hunched and head down. You don’t know how you knew what when on, no one else seemed to hear such exchanges, and if they did they didn’t make it apparent. you just assumed that you had really good hearing. Didn’t do much to explain how you could see the outlines of people threw walls, but you’d always shrugged it off, chalked it up to weird lighting in the building.

You stopped and glanced around you at the blank expanse and found nothing. You were just about give up entirely when out of the corner of your eye you saw it, a splash of vibrant color. You rushed towards it and quickly found yourself in an empty city square, a massive oak tree stood in the center of the area it’s leaves a vibrant shade of green. You turned back the way you had come only to find the doorway to the large white area was nowhere in sight. Guess there’s no going back now you thought hesitantly.

“Hello!? Where is this place? Where am I?” you called out desperate for the voice to speak again, anxiety gripped at your chest. What if you were going crazy?

“Welcome, child. You are in the Nexus.” the voice called, it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once but also nowhere.

“Nexus? What is that?” you asked glancing around trying to locate the source of the mysterious voice.

“The Nexus is a place where time no longer seems to flow.” the voice came again this time closer.

A sudden but gentle hand on your shoulder makes you jump. You quickly spin around and catch sight of a woman.

“Who are you?” your voice no more than a whisper for you feared to speak any louder just in case this was merely a hallucination and you were back at home with worried friends who were trying to rouse you. 

you glanced at the woman cautiously, she was an unusually tall woman and you placed her at around six-two. She was dressed in a garb that seemed to almost glow and sparkle like fresh snow and it was trimmed by golden adornments. On her shoulder sat an owl, a Horned owl, you noted it too seemed to have an unearthly glow about it.

“Be at peace child, they call me many things. Merva. Mera. But, you may call me Minerva, i am one of the few Isu left.” she explained in a rather neutral tone while eyeing you, her golden eyes were hard with concern. 

You froze realizing you were still staring, and quickly averted your eyes to look elsewhere, “Minerva? Like the roman goddess Minerva?” you asked feeling your cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

You could hear her chuckle slightly, “Yes, exactly that, but i am not a goddess, i do not possess any high power. I am merely one scientist of a race that came before.”

“The Isu, that’s what you called them? Are they like a tribe or something?” you raised an eyebrow, relaxing a little, curiosity piqued 

 

“In a manner of speaking yes, you could say the Isu were the first people to walk the world. They were unique beings, that possessed what’s known as a triple Helix. They were far more advanced as a race, then humans. You who were modeled in our image and birthed from our loins ” Minerva stated and began to pace

You found it hard to hold her gaze, this woman very much intimidated you and so kept your eyes fixed and anything and everything while you pondered over what Minerva was saying. Why are you only hearing about this now? About the triple helix? It was a lot to take in and quite hard to believe.

“Triple helix huh? I’m sorry but i don’t think I've ever heard of such a thing, it’s all so hard to believe” you say trying to keep your tone even.

“It is not common knowledge, only few know of such things. The fact that i am revealing as much to you is proof that i trust you enough. I need your help.” Minerva replied something in her tone caught your attention and you caught her gaze and held it as confidently as you could.

She took a few steps towards you expectantly, and you began to anxiously fiddle with your hands for a moment before you spoke crossing your arms.”I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, what exactly is it you need me for?” 

Minerva nodded as if she had already expected your response, “There will be time enough for that. Come, you must be hungry.”

Your stomach began to howl as Minerva finished speaking, you had forgotten that you hadn’t eaten when you got home and you nodded eager for something to sate your hunger. Minerva beckoned you to follow as she lead you out of the empty square, the owl that had perched on her shoulder flew off ahead of the two of you. 

As you walked to started to realize how barren the city was, how claustrophobic it’s empty streets and choking silence were. No birds chirped, no vehicles in site, not even a person on the streets. Rows upon rows of buildings and businesses were empty and abandoned, and you began to wonder exactly how many of these Isu people were left here. Minerva was leading you towards a large glass building outside the front doors was a large apple tree with golden yellow leaves. It looked promising from a distance but the closer you got the more disappointed you became as the apples that were on the tree were still small and unripe. You huffed a little and heard Minerva chuckle at your reaction.

When you entered the building you noticed a few things, first as with the rest of the city it was almost completely devoid of life apart from you and some potted plants, and secondly there was a large portion of floor that was covered in sand nearby was a sword wrack that proudly displayed a number of well crafted steel swords. Minerva lead you up some stairs to a rather cozy living space, there was a low table with a pitcher and some cups upon it, and to chairs on either end of the table. You took a seat in one of the chairs and looked around the room was decorated with red and gold silken drapes and tassels, and large ferns sat in one corner of the room. The floors were a solid marble that had swirls of browns, greys, and russet reds, and at the far end of the room was a large window with a view of the now setting sun that painted the room in a fiery glow. The room itself had the pleasant aroma of sage and rosemary.

Minerva sits in the chair across from you before and picks up the pitcher, “This will be your living quarters should you choose to aid me.” she says and pours out some liquid into both of the cups.

“What is that stuff?” You ask wrinkling your nose slightly. The liquid didn’t have a smell to it that you could place, and it looked like a mixture of liquid honey and melted butter.

“It is Ambrosia, it will serve as your sustenance.” she replied pushing the cup of golden amber liquid towards you.

You glanced down at the cup and watched the drink settle before taking the cup in both your hands, it was warm to the touch. “So what exactly do you need my help with?” 

Minerva took a sip of her drink before setting it down and fixes you with a hard stare, “you are going to help turn the tides of a war, that would seem at a stalemate.”

You let out a disgruntled squeak in disbelief, “A war? You want me to help you with a war?”

Minerva then went on to explain that there were two factions involved; the Assassins and the Templars both sides greedily struggled for control over precursor objects that were not even meant for the hands of men. The Templars sought the objects to rule over people, and the Assassins seek to keep the pieces away from the Templars to ensure the freedom of the people. 

While Minerva spoke you drank the still warm ambrosia, it was sweet tasting and rich with a hint of salt. The liquid was smooth, and it was much like drinking soup broth and as you drank it you found your hunger subsiding as if you had been eating a decent meal. The warmth of the drink enveloped you, making you feel more awake and your senses more keen.

You learned that the Assassins numbers are dwindling in your current time and they are losing the fight, that Minerva intends to send you into the past to start you on the road to being an Assassin in order to prevent the fall of humanity. She had brought you here because you have a special ability, like all others that possess the triple helix, she called it eagle vision and explained that it was that ability that allowed you to hear conversations that others could not, or see the position of people and things through walls. Minerva explained that she had planned to train you, to give you the basic knowledge and tools of an Assassin before sending you on your quest across time.

When at last she finishes her speech she glances at you, making sure she didn’t lose you in any of the details, “Are you willing to help me?” her golden eyes hard on you, burning holes into your soul and her lips pressed into a hard lines.

You shuffle uneasily in your seat, she understands what she’s asking you right? She’s asking you to put your life on the line for people you don’t even know, you didn’t even know about these two factions till today. Could you do it? Did you even think you could? You need more time to think on it.

You blink trying to focus your thoughts before answering, “I’m sorry it’s such a hard decision to make lightly, might i have the night to think it over?” you ask pinching the bridge of your nose to attempt to calm your nerves.

Minerva smiled at you in understanding it was a lot that she was asking of you, and your response was expected, “Very well, take the night to think it over. I will be here again tomorrow to hear what you have decided upon.” and with that she left the room shutting the door behind her. Leaving you alone with your thoughts and the rest of the ambrosia.

You poured yourself another glass and went to sit on one of the couches resting against the wall with a sigh. You know you should decline, that you should return to your life. You also knew that you wouldn’t be able to, not with the weight of this sort of information and for the sake of doing what’s right, you would agree to help. Of course you would think of how many lives you could save.

You chuckled quietly to yourself as you finished the ambrosia in your glass, when you said you wanted more action in your life, this isn’t quite what you had in mind, Careful what you wish for, you thought you yourself as you laid down to get comfortable. You rested your head on the armrest of the couch hardly bothered by the lack of a blanket, the hot liquid in your belly seemed to take care of that. You would tell Minerva that you would agree to help her and her assassins.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning you woke early before the sun managed to peek above the horizon, momentarily forgetting where you were, you tried to go about your morning routine till you noticed the pitcher of ambrosia on the table. The pitcher was steaming and you wondered how the liquid stayed so warm. You turned to grab your cup from beside the couch and poured the ambrosia into it. You settled yourself back on the couch with the steaming cup and watched the sunrise, the light flooded your room with brilliant blues, purples and pinks.

Just as the golden rays began spilling into your room a knock at the door startled you and you nearly dropped the drink, “Come in.” you called from where you were trying to calm your erratic heartbeat. 

You knew who it was already, before they even opened the door. You glanced over in time to see Minerva step past the threshold, you shifted in your seat till you were comfortably facing her. A calmness across her features, but her eyes were wary.

“Have you made a decision child?” she spoke gently but you could hear the uncertainty edge her voice.

You nod slowly and take a sip of your drink before speaking, “I have. You are asking quite a lot of me, a mere stranger. I don’t know if i’ll be able to do what you’re asking, but i will certainly try my best. I will help you.”

 

Minerva seemed pleased with your response, her lips curved upwards into a gentle smile, “That is good to hear child. Rest a moment longer, we’ll begin your training right away.” and with that she left your room. 

Once again you were alone with your thoughts, and in that moment you allowed yourself to smile with excitement and wonder what was in store.


	2. Shaken first impressions

You headed out of your room and down the stairway to the training area you spotted when you first arrived here, glancing around the open space as you reached the foot of the stairs you easily caught sight of Minerva. She was standing with two others that seemed to share her unearthly glow. A woman that was notably shorter than her, and draped in a flowing white gown, her brunette hair was in several braids and adorned with hoops at the ends, and a man that appeared to be dressed in an ivory colored toga and wore a helmet adorned with an eagle. His white beard had reminded you of the the beard that JK Rowling’s Gandalf sported, only it was half the length and seemed thicker.

As you approached the three of them cautiously Minerva had smiled in acknowledgement, “Welcome child, before we begin your training i would like you to meet someone.”

She motioned to her comrades as they turned to look at you, “This is Jupiter.” she motioned to the man. 

“Wait,” you said holding up a hand, “Jupiter, as in your father, the man whose head you sprung from?” you blurted out without much thought.

He intern bowed his head slightly to you, “Ah so you have heard of me it would seem. I suppose it is hardly surprising with all the stories the humans pass around.” he said with a slight smile before walking off.

Minerva nodded as she turned and introduced the woman you could almost hear the acid in her tone but she kept her features pleasant, “And this is Juno. I hardly need to tell you who she is, as you already know about us” as Minerva motioned to the shorter woman. 

Juno flashed you a warming smile, “So then, you are the one Minerva has chosen to aid us. I shall be watching your training closely.” she said placing a hand on your shoulder before following Jupiter.

You watch after Juno and Jupiter as they disappear outside before turning your attention back to Minerva who is watching you expectantly, you huff down a sigh and walk over to her and notice a stone table behind her that proudly showcased an array of weapons, they were neatly laid out. You could make out the hilt of a long sword, and spotted a dagger or two, and slowly your eyes found their way to a mysterious looking contraption and you couldn’t tell what it was.

Minerva followed your gaze before moving to step behind the table, beckoning you forward, ”These are to be your tools on your quest. I will train you in the basics of how to use each of them and allow you to become familiar with them. The rest you will learn as you move forward.” she explained as you approached the table.

“Where would you have me begin?” you asked, there was a lot to cover here and you wondered if you’d ever actually get good enough, the seemed very overwhelming you.

“With this.” Minerva said handing you one of the swords on the table before taking one herself and headed for the large sandy circle in the center of the room.

You swallowed hard at the lump that began to form in your throat, “But I haven’t-” you began to say before you were cut off.

“And you shall learn far better by doing.” Minerva said holding up her hand for your silence.

And learn you did. For many hours of being knocked down, and cursing loudly at yourself, only to stand back up. You acquired many scratches and cuts while learning to parry, and each successful parry sent jolts of pain through your wrist and arm causing you to drop your sword. Every time you dropped your sword Minerva would scold you about having a better hold on your weapon, and in response you would mutter silent curses under your breath.

The hours went by and the sun began to peek through the windows, bathing the large space in its rays, as it began to disappear. It was starting to get easier to hold the sword, most notably when you parried and countered, you no longer dropped your sword.you couldn’t tell if it was because you had absolutly zero arm strength or if shockwaves from the clashing swords numbed your arms, your swings were gimpy and you were sure a 5 year old could do better but it was something you vowed to work more on.

“Alright, that is enough of that for today.” Minerva stated sheathing her sword and resting it against the stone table.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you walked over to the stone table and practically dropped the sword on to the flat stone surface, happy to be free of it’s weight and wincing as the action caused some of the tiny cuts on your forearm to sting. You had obtained several cuts some bled a little, other were still bleeding and your clothes had become covered in a light sandy dust. You brush yourself off as best as you could wincing when you brushed your cuts a little too roughly.

“Rest well and heal up, we will be back at this again later.” Minerva spoke with an edge to her tone.

You glance at her and saw, despite her tone, she had a rather gentle smile, “How am I supposed to heal in one night?” you asked motioning to your sleeves striped and speckled with blood.

Minerva chuckled, “The ambrosia you drink does more then just fill an empty stomach.” she said lightly.

You shake your head in disbelief, “Next your gonna tell me it grants immortality.”

“Only with continual use, the immortality wears off after a few hours if it is not used again.” she said with a smirk, “Now away with you, we begin again early in the morning.”

You huff in annoyance but head back you your room, happily collapsing onto the couch and passed out.

 

The next morning you awoke to the gurgling of your stomach, you were too tired to bother with ambrosia last night. You got up and walked over to the table and downed a couple mugs of the liquid meal replacement. You head out of your room after your finished breakfast, Minerva was waiting expectantly for you but today she wasn’t alone. Juno had been present today, there was a tension crackling in the air between the two women and it made you apprehensive, nearly unwilling to start training today, but once you’d hopped into the training ring all was forgotten.

The routine today was the same hard drill as yesterday but in the place of a sword was a dagger, the blade nearly as long as your forearm. You were very much able to keep hold of the smaller blade, even when it came to parrying, no doubt thanks to yesterday’s rigorous training with the sword. Still acquiring many bruises and a few minor scrapes but happily avoiding getting cut, and instead of hearing only scolding from Minerva you received praise, which served to only improve your mood.  
Training ended at sundown, and you were happy to be done for today. Your muscles aching all over. 

“Well done, (y/n). At this pace you’ll be ready to begin your mission in a week's time.” Minerva commended you with a look of approval. “Rest well, we shall resume training at sunrise.” she said before taking her leave, leaving you to stand idly in the room. During your training session, you all but forgot that Juno had been watching you train until her hand appeared on your shoulder, making you jump.

“Your training is coming along well, But are you sure you’re doing the right thing by agreeing to help Minerva?” Juno questioned, her tone calm but something in her features unsettled you.

“What do you mean?” you asked legitimately confused at the question.

“Helping Minerva on her fool's errand will do nothing to stop the impending doom that is to befall your kind.” Juno continued ignoring your question

Feeling uncomfortable you wordlessly excused yourself to your room, as you walked away you were sure Juno’s eyes watched you, threatening to burn holes into your back as you headed to the stairway. You reached your room closing the door behind you pressing your back against it for a long moment, what had Juno meant, what was this impending doom she spoke of that filled your body with dread? Stepping away from the door finally, you silently promised yourself to question Minerva about it when you had a spare moment.


End file.
